By Charles Bretherton, 1782, via the British Museum. 

(Thanks to sew18thcentury.com for posting this!)

“The Bumless Beauties” 1788 probably by Thomas Rowlandson, The Lewis Walpole Library

(Thanks to sew18thcentury.com for posting this!)

damesalamode:

Fashions of London and Paris, Head Dresses, October 1805. 

Proof that basic black doesn’t have to be boring!  My favorite is actually the little tiara on the bottom right!

Turban, 1820-1835, Victoria and Albert Museum

I love the combination of textures and colors in this turban!  Velvet is one of those fabrics that I generally dislike because it is almost overwhelmingly rich (like a piece of cake with too much icing), but I love seeing little hints of it paired with a nice crisp silk.  The contrast is lovely. 

damesalamode:

Fashions of London and Paris, London Head Dresses, April 1799. 

These are adorable little things!

americanduchess:

some day I will make this pink and black polka dotted dress and I shall laugh constantly whilst wearing it.

beyondthegoblincity:

A portrait of a woman by Marie Louis Sicard, 1789

You make the gown, I’ll make the hat!

oldrags:

Orientalist caps, ca 1907 France

(via historicalfashion)

Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria by John Zoffany.

Undated, but my guess is late 1780s based on that amazing hat.

(Hat tip to Heileen for finding this one! http://pinterest.com/pin/145663369167667196/)

fripperiesandfobs:

Petronella de Lange

1835

Jacob Joseph Eeckhout

earwigbiscuits:

Mrs. Gertrude Sheldon Sands, wife of Samuel Stevens Sands III, a son of Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt Sr., in 1913. Lovely Gertie was widowed that summer when her husband was killed in an automobile accident in West Hampton NY; three years later she married financier Richard Whitney. (Library of Congress)

What an elegant and lovely portrait!

stuiewood:

Wantonness Mask’d. A satire of a couple at a masquerade, the young man, on the left, has taken his mask off in his ardour, while the woman has not. 6th May 1771.
Hand-coloured mezzotint in the British Museum Collection.

(via brittleblackstars)

omgthatdress:

Hat

1800-1805

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Oh, I’m so making this… 

The Fortune Teller, after Matthew William Peters, 1786.  Via Donald Heald.

Wow.  This is one of the best 18th Century images I have ever seen.  There is so much incredible detail!

On the fortune teller:  No cap, hair covered by only a cloth.  An elaborately trimmed but well-worn black silk-covered hat.  Her cloak hood falling open so we can see the inside, especially the neckline, and that it is trimmed ‘round the face. The hem of her cloak is left raw and is unravelling and there might be a tear. 

The fortune tellee (not a word…): A magnificent hat with some pretty glorious feathers- love that they are grey!  The curls around her face actually look a bit like bangs which are very rare.  A profusion of lace and ribbon around her neckline.  A long sleeved gown or jacket (stripes!) ending in a simple white flounce. 

I’m officially in love!

Cabinet des Modes (later Magasin des Modes), May 1786. 

*sigh*

(Source: damesalamode, via thedapperbonnet)